Share this with

We’re all subject to the perils of online ‘perfection’, but a new study has found that it affects young girls more than most.

A poll of more than 1,000 young people by UK charity Girlguiding has found that a shocking 35% of girls aged 11-21 are affected by the perceived need to compare themselves to others online, listing it as their number one worry.

What’s more, there’s a split between kids’ perceptions of the issue and their parents’, with just 12% of girls saying their parents were concerned about the implications of comparing yourself to other girls online.

The deputy chief executive of Girlguiding, Ruth Marvel, said the ‘increasing pressure to live the ‘perfect’ life online and the negative impact this is having on their wellbeing’ was a key response from young girls in the study.

Advertisement

Advertisement

‘We need to listen and take girls’ voices seriously to protect their happiness, wellbeing and opportunities in life, both online and offline,’ she continued.

(Picture: Getty)

Labour MP Jess Philips also called the news ‘worrying’, stating that ‘improving how girls and women feel about themselves isn’t just important to stop hurt feelings, as some may claim.

‘It matters because women trying to reach some unattainable goal of how our faces, bodies, homes and lifestyles should be seeps into real life and sees women feeling inferior in the workplace and in their personal relationships.’

The Girls’ Attitudes Survey found just 47% of respondents felt their parents understood the pressures of being a young girl online.

Other key worries facing girls online included grooming, photos of themselves being altered or used out of context, and threats from strangers – a third of participants were concerned about how they might look in photos online.